I doubt we will ever contact intelligent beings. If the universe were the size of the Earth, we'd be able to travel about 1 meter in a lifetime. Say for example, we spot a planet in a far off galaxy, it has all required conditions for intelligent life to bloom on, and is emitting radio signals. We decide to launch a ship from Earth to visit this planet. When you get there, the planet has aged upwards of hundreds of millions years. Remember, looking at something from a large distance is looking back in time.
Do you know how many disasters can befall a planet in hundreds of millions of years? Imagine looking at Earth from this far away galaxy, what would you see? The planet would be a raging ball of molten rock, appearing incapable of ever sustaining life.